The event, hosted by Club Taboo, starts at 7 p.m., but agent Mike Esterman says the trio won’t be there until 10 p.m. Tickets are $25 and $35. After the show, it’s on to Club Taboo in the Depot Entertainment District for the after-party, where Ronnie, Deena and The Situation are expected to show up sometime after midnight. The cover charge is $60.

The reality show about a house full of drama-driven roommates partying seaside during the summer draws record ratings for MTV and was recently picked up for a sixth season

Sgt. Jonathan Stewart of the Lubbock Police Department said he wasn’t sure yet if there would be extra officers working the event, but he said the department routinely works events at the coliseum and patrols the Depot Entertainment District heavily on weekends. — Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

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AMARILLO — Two city parks and additional public areas of downtown Amarillo could become no-drinking zones for booze if city leaders approve a proposed ordinance amendment.

Amarillo City Commissioners on Tuesday discussed a rough draft of an amended law drawn up in response to property owners’ concerns about vagrants drinking alcohol on sidewalks, in alleys, on city streets and in Ellwood Park, City Manager Jarrett Atkinson said.

Amarillo already prohibits the possession of open alcoholic beverage containers in public in a portion of downtown defined under zoning laws as the city’s Central Business District. A proposed update would expand district boundaries.

Permitted festivals and patio areas of restaurants licensed to sell alcohol for on-premises consumption are exempted from the restrictions and would continue to be exempt under the amended law.

Currently, the Amarillo Central Business District covers a central section of downtown and the Southwest Sixth Avenue corridor, including the Sixth Street Historic District.

The proposed expansion would push the district north to the BNSF tracks on downtown’s northern edge, south to Southwest/Southeast 15th Avenue and west to Washington/Adams Street.

The expanded district would take in not only Ellwood Park at Washington/Adams and Southwest 11th Avenue; it also would include Sanborn Park at Southeast 15th Avenue and Taylor Street. City regulations currently only prohibit open alcoholic-beverage containers at city parks when an organized children’s event is under way. — Amarillo Globe-News

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AMARILLO — A wind transmission line builder wants to condemn ranch land north of Amarillo owned by people and trusts linked to families with deep area roots and names like Bush, Bivins, O’Brien, Marsh and Masterson.

In several of the eight condemnation requests filed in Potter County by Sharyland Utilities, a judge has appointed a commission of three residents to serve as arbiters to determine a fair price for easements 175 feet wide to build steel towers and provide access for line inspection and maintenance. The commission also will consider the price for the impact on land values.

Sharyland Utilities ran into opposition to several of its proposed routes for lines from Hereford to White Deer. Those included paths spanning Palo Duro Canyon or running between Amarillo and Canyon.

The Public Utility Commission of Texas eventually approved in late 2010 a route running north to near Wildorado and then east along the Canadian River Breaks. Landowners also vigorously opposed that route, citing potential damage to the land and historical sites and the loss of property value due to obscured scenery.

Court files show the special commissioners have not yet recommended an award in any of the cases in which Sharyland and landowners could not agree to a price. If the landowners don’t want to accept the price, they can appeal at the district court level, according to state law. — Amarillo Globe-News

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LUBBOCK — Joe B. Mauldin, who has played standup bass for the Crickets for 50-plus years, still is very much alive, despite an inaccurate Internet rumor to the contrary.

Crickets vocalist Sonny Curtis found out about the rumor when country entertainer Jessie Colter, who is Waylon Jennings’ widow, called him Tuesday night to “say how sorry she was to hear about Joe B.”

Curtis said, “I asked what was wrong with Joe B.”

By Wednesday, fellow Cricket Jerry “J.I.” Allison, his wife, Joanie, and Curtis all had made it clear that Mauldin, although having weathered planned surgery for a health issue, remained smiling and happy.

During a recent interview the Crickets revealed the main reason for the trio not attending its April 14 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland was Mauldin’s need for surgery this month.

When Mauldin was advised by a physician not to make the trip to Ohio, Allison and Curtis decided friendship carried more weight than another award. All three musicians and their wives dined together in Tennessee the night the award was handed out in Cleveland.

Allison, drummer for the Crickets, said by e-mail Wednesday morning, “I just talked to him a few minutes ago, and he is fine. He had a surgical procedure done, and it went just as planned. He will be going home soon, so get-well messages are in order.”

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame voted to induct the Crickets to correct the mistake of not including these musicians when band leader Holly was among the first musicians inducted in 1986.

The Crickets were one of several groups honored after being overlooked when band leaders were inducted as solo artists. — Lubbock Avalanche-Journal